The
A3
Read all about Maryville’s recycling queen Sharon Ellison
Northwest Missourian
Thursday, November 7, 2013
V89 | N11
Higher education changes come at brink of economy STEFAN PYLES Chief Reporter | @TheMissourian
Changes in higher education policy reflect a growing awareness of the challenges students face. Since the catastrophe that sent the global economy spiraling downward, higher education enrollment has continued to increase. Surprisingly, government appropriations to higher education have also increased. This trend suggests that some elected leaders are waking up to the realities the recession unveiled. Data from The National Center for Education Statistics shows that, while unemployment skyrocketed following the collapse, enrollment rates tended to move upwards and will continue to do so. According to the NCES, between 2000 and 2010 enrollment increased 37 percent, from 15.3 million to 21 million. From 2010 to 2020, NCES projects a rise of 11 percent in enrollments of stu-
dents under 25, and a rise of 20 percent in enrollments of students 25 and over. Naturally, the government stepped in to meet the challenge of providing resources to students. In a July 2013 report by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, operating support for the fiscal year 2014 for public four-year institutions increased, on average, by 3.6 percent in 37 of 48 states. On the other hand, data released by College Board shows that average tuition and fee prices at public four-year colleges increased from $5,213 to $8,655 between 2012 and 2013, about 66 percent. To deal with the rapidly increasing cost of higher education, a few states instituted tuition freezes. However, not all states think alike. This year, the Missouri legislature attempted to pass an $800 million tax-cut bill, which included significant cuts to education. With the government looking to make cuts to education, states will continue to base colleges on their performance in many areas. The Indiana Commission for Higher Education, for example, hopes to see an increased number of complete degrees, the timeliness of those degrees and whether or not universities are incenting the right kinds of degrees.
“My certain hope and expectation is that we get to a focus on the issues that really matter as far as making better education, creating new opportunities for our kids,” said Gov. Jay Nixon, who vetoed the bill. On the other hand, Washington officials have pressed for a 50/50 split. The idea is to split the cost of higher education equally between states and students. Historically, the tendency of politicians was to pull the plug on higher education spending during economic downturns. However, now, leaders in states across America are realizing that higher education funding is critical to the future and success of the economy. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2012, the unemployment rate for citizens with an associate degree was 6.2 percent; for a bachelor’s degree, 4.5 percent. As educational level increases, the unemployment rate decreases. For citizens with a high school diploma, the unemployment rate was 8.3 percent; for those with less than a high school diploma, it was 12.4 percent. Several bills have passed through Congress in the last few years that
SEE EDUCATION| A5
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY CODY SIMMONS | NW MISSOURIAN
As university enrollment rates continue to raise nationwide, the federal government has its eyes on university performances. These chnages are coming as the global economy is in a downward spiral.
Bearcat TriO walk 60 miles
University addressing flooding in buildings THOMAS DRESSLAR
Opinion Editor| @Tom.Dresslar
BRANDON ZENNER
News Editor| @brandonzenner
To some, walking 60 miles over the course of a chilly November weekend might be troublesome. But for Lisa Ruehter, 60 miles is nothing compared to what she has been through. Ruehter, administrative assistant for Student Support Services, was diagnosed with Stage-4, HER2-positive breast cancer, the highest rating of breast cancer there is, in August 2010. Until her diagnosis, there was no history of breast cancer in her family. She went through 18 weeks of rough chemotherapy, breast surgery, two lung surgeries and another 16 weeks of chemotherapy. During Thanksgiving break in 2010, Ruehter heard about the Susan G. Komen 3-Day walk, an event where participants walk 20 miles a day over a three-day span, totaling 60 miles, along with camping in the evening. She told her second daughter that she hoped to do this when she was able. “When I finished treatments, it was one of those things I wanted to do,” Ruehter said. “(I told my daughter) if I can get through what I’m going through now, I can walk 60 miles.” Ruehter’s dream came true, as she participated in her first 3-day from Nov. 1-3 in Dallas, Texas., where the Susan G. Ko-
SUBMITTED PHOTO
In years past, students trudging to class during an intense rainfall would sometimes find their classroom in ankle deep water, inciting frustration among students and faculty. However, University officials have begun taking steps to prevent troublesome flooding, and it seems to be paying off during recent rainstorms. Throughout October, Facility Services worked on and eventually finished installing a new drain underneath the parking lot behind Wells Hall. This drain is designed to mitigate the large amounts of water that would often seep in through the basement doors of Wells. The water seeping into these doors had the potential to interact with expensive electrical equipment in the building’s multimedia lab. “A few times, half the multimedia lab has been covered in water, and in that particular room, electricity happens to travel through the legs of the table and underneath the floor,” TV/video engineer Will Murphy said. “So as
Ashley Greeley, left, and Lisa Ruether, right, completed the 60 mile Susan G. Komen 3-Day walk in Dallas, Texas from Nov. 1-3. Jackie Cockenour was also apart of the Bearcat TriO through her fundraising efforts.
men Foundation was founded. Ruehter, however, was not alone on her journey. Ashley Greeley, executive secretary in the President’s Office, and Jackie Cockenour, counseling coordinator for Upward Bound, joined Ruehter’s team after they joined the University in 2012. When they began, all three were a part of the Bearcat TriO department at the University, combined of Student Support Services, Upward Bound and Upward Bound Math/Science. “Jackie and I jumped on board because it was something Lisa really wanted to do, and she needed a team, so we were
determined to raise the money for her,” Greeley said. “It was her goal and a journey we didn’t want her to go through on her own.” Ruehter and Greeley participated in the walk while Cockenour managed the team and helped fundraise the team’s money, as she was committed to taking care of her 10-monthold child. Each participant has to raise $2,300 to join the walk, and the Bearcat TriO raised over $7,500 in preparation for its journey to Dallas. When the pair reached Dallas, they slept in pink tents and showered in trailers with 1,200 people affected
by breast cancer in some form. Ruehter and Greeley both came back with unforgettable experiences and stories. “My story might be different, but we’re all the same; we didn’t do it on our own,” Ruether said. “So many (people) were behind me that I didn’t expect to be there. “Sometimes you might just walk one or two miles by yourself, and those were the hardest. It’s not because the walking was hard, but it was emotional. It’s much more emotional than I ever expected.”
Hip-hop artists T-Pain, Mike Stud set to take stage
SEE WALK | A5
Northwest has welcomed Grammy-nominated artists and Top-40 breakouts, and it can now add T-Pain and Mike Stud to that list. The two will grace the stage in the Ron Houston Center for the Performing Arts Saturday. T-Pain stepped onto the music scene in 2005 when he released “I’m Sprung” and “I’m N Luv (Wit a Stripper),” both of which jumped to the Top 10 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. He has made appearances in a number of television shows and films such as, “Lottery Ticket.” Michael Eppley, concert director for Student Activities Council, said in an effort to rebrand himself as an artist and promote his latest work, T-Pain embarked on a college tour. Mike Stud will open for T-Pain. Stud is an up-andcomer in the hip-hop industry who got his start when a song he recorded as a joke, “College Humor,” went viral in 2010. “We wanted to get a well-known name and a good opener. We looked at our budget and tried to get the best bang for our buck,” Eppley said. “It seemed like a perfect collaboration that would please the students of Northwest.” Clearly, it has; the tickets available to students sold out in five days. Eppley said they went so quickly that Northwest officials did not have a chance to market them to the public. Rachel Oltman, a sophomore, made sure to get her tickets as soon as they were available. She said she was interested to see how T-Pain sounds live because his music is heavily Auto-Tuned. “T-Pain brings back some really awesome memories of middle school and high school,” Oltman said. “It’s always good to go back down memory lane, especially sharing that with new friends.” In order to get names like T-Pain to the campus stage, Eppley said every year the organization puts together a list of possible artists. SAC judges student feedback along with price and budget, and the list is narrowed down accordingly. “It gets really tricky with artist availability,” Eppley said. “ Once we’ve looked at pricing, availability for artists and have secured our location, we are then able to put an offer in with our middle agent. Once we receive the contracts and negotiate different things into or out of it, we are allowed to announce the concert.” T-Pain and Mike Stud will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday in the Ron Houston Center for the Performing Arts. Doors open at 7 p.m.
Missouri says no to same-sex couple benefits STEFAN PYLES Chief Reporter| @TheMissourian
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Kelly Glossip, left, and Dennis Engelhard, right, were in a relationship for 14 years at the time of Engelhard’s death.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, “When you die, certain members of your family may be eligible for survivor benefits. These include widows… children and dependent partners.” However, in the case of a Missouri highway patrolman’s death, his same-sex partner was not fortunate enough to receive these benefits. On Oct. 29, the Missouri Supreme Court, in a 5-2 ruling, defended the constitutionality of the Missouri Department of Transportation’s decision to deny survivor benefits to Kelly Glossip. Glossip was the partner of Patrol Corporal Dennis Engelhard, and with the backing of the American Civil Liberties Union, he sued the State of Missouri in Dec. 2010. Engelhard died when a vehicle struck him as he was dealing with another accident on Christmas day 2009. The court wrote, “Because Glossip was not married to Engelhard at the time of his death, he is not eligible for survivor benefits.” Engelhard and Glossip shared a home and bank account, attended church and raised a child, whom Glossip fathered during a previous marriage, of 14 years. However, Missouri law is vague concerning the legal statuses of same-sex couples. Adopted Aug. 3, 2004, Article 1, Section 33 of the Missouri Consti-
SEE FLOODING | A5
tution states “That to be valid and recognized in this state, a marriage shall exist only between a man and a woman.” Prior to the ruling, Glossip defended his lawsuit to “The Vital VOICE,” a St. Louis-based informational source that focuses on LGBT issues. “I’m not just doing it for myself,” Glossip said. “I’m doing it because there are several gay highway patrolmen who have spouses, and I don’t want them to go through what I had to go through. It was pure hell, to be honest. If I can make a change… that would be a wonderful thing.” The ruling comes in the wake of a landmark decision made by the U.S. Supreme Court July 24. In a 5-4 split, the court struck down Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act, which stated, “the word ‘marriage’ means only a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife, and the word ‘spouse’ refers only to a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife.” Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in the majority opinion, “For same-sex couples who wished to be married, the state acted to give their lawful conduct a lawful status,” he wrote. “This status is a far-reaching legal acknowledgment of the intimate relationship between two people, a relationship deemed by the state worthy of dignity in the community equal with all other marriages.”
SEE BENEFITS | A5
NATALIE FRY Features Editor| @natalieannfry